background image

 

10 

1-5  PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION 

 

The laminator operates by pulling film with a thermally activated adhesive over a heat source 
and into a set of laminating rollers.  Film from a supply roll passes over heat shoes to activate 
a polyethylene adhesive layer on the film.  It then passes through rubber rollers to apply 
pressure and bond the film to the item being laminated.  The film's adhesive is pressed into 
the ink and fibers on the surface of the paper. 
 
The strength of the lamination bond can be checked by cutting a large “X” on the surface of a 
laminated sample with a sharp blade.  Use the tip of the blade to pry up one corner of the “X”.  
Grab that corner and pull up the film.  Ink and/or paper fibers coming up with the layer of film 
indicates a good adhesive bond. 
 
If the film comes up too easily, with no ink or paper, the lamination was probably done at too 
low a temperature.  Check the instructions that may have come with your laminating film 
and/or the lamination temperature chart in section 5-5. 
 
Please note that when doing an X-test on glossy (coated) paper, a good X-test will pull up ink 
only.  The film should not come up easily.  When laminating material that is not glossy 
(uncoated), the paper is often more fibrous, and a good X-test will yield ink and paper fibers 
coming up with the film. 
 
 

1-6  LAMINATING FILM 

 
Most thermal laminating film consists of two layers: a base of polyester and an adhesive layer 
of polyethylene.  The polyester layer forms the harder outer surface of the film and does not 
melt at laminating temperature.  It provides rigidity and protection for your laminated items.  
The greater the polyester content, the higher the level of protection, rigidity and luster.  The 
polyethylene layer melts at laminating temperature and bonds the film to the subject material 
under the pressure of the laminating rollers.  As an X-test demonstrates, the adhesive is 
pressed into the paper and fills irregularities in the surface.  

 

The proportion of polyester and polyethylene in a film is usually described with numbers.  For 
example, a “1-2” film consists of one mil of polyester and two mils of polyethylene.  The first 
number refers to the base layer.  The second number refers to the adhesive layer.  A mil is 
1/1000 of an inch. 

 

Since polyester is the more costly of the two types of plastic generally used in laminating film, 
a “3-2” film will cost more than a “2-3” film.  Both are 5-mil films but the “3-2” version will 
seem a little thicker on a piece of laminated material because it will be slightly stiffer.  
Thermal laminating films are available in many different base/adhesive combinations.  Five-
mil film, for example, can be found in 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, and 4-1 combinations. 

 

 
 
 
 

Summary of Contents for Premier 4

Page 1: ...READ ALL PRECAUTIONS INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE OPERATING LAMINATOR Setup Instruction Operation Lamination Maintenance Premier 4 Laminator Operation Manual Version 3 0 2013 ...

Page 2: ...astel dont les couleurs baver et se mélanger surtout si la couche de pastel est épaisse Les pastels en couche mince peuvent ne pas réagir mais en cas de doute il est préférable de faire un essai avec un échantillon perdu Ne pas plastifier les documents importants dont il n existe qu un seul exemplaire à moins de bien malitriser la technique de plastification Ne pas plastifier non plus les articles...

Page 3: ...AMES OF PARTS 4 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 5 SETUP OPERATION 5 1 Unpacking and setup 5 2 Threading the laminator 5 3 Film threading diagram 5 4 Laminating 5 5 Recommended temperature settings 5 6 Preventing and solving problems 6 INSTALLING AND USING OPTIONS Footage counter Roll feed attachment 7 MAINTENANCE 7 1 General cleaning 7 2 Cleaning the heat shoes 7 3 Cleaning the rubber rollers 7 4 Lubrication 7...

Page 4: ...ab35 2 General Danger Lab52 3 Arm Entanglement Lab51 4 Cutting of Fingers or Hand Straight Blade Lab54 5 Hand Entanglement Chain Drive Lab36 6 International Hot Warning Lab100 7 Electrical Hazard Lab 43 8 CE European Electrical Lab06 9 International Ground Lab79 ...

Page 5: ...thermiques El simbolo internacional de advertencia CALIENTE serà fijado en los lugares apropriados en el plastificador Thank you for selecting the LEDCO Premier 4 laminator We are committed to your satisfaction with our products As you unpack your new laminator please complete the following information Always have this information ready when calling Purchased From _________________________________...

Page 6: ...nd easy threading The bottom idler is attached to the feed tray Once the upper and lower webs of film have been run through the machine bottom idler threading is automatic when the operator puts the feed tray on the machine Forced air cooling allows laminating with thicker films Without a cooling system thicker films will warp or ripple because they are still too hot when they come out the back of...

Page 7: ...o feed the graphics into the rollers in a consistent manner Silicone rubber laminating rollers are flexible enough to provide a good edge seal and firm enough to offer a good surface seal A high silicone content insures a much longer average roller life Very strong steel cores prevent roller flexing and insure uniform pressure across the width of the laminate giving you the best quality lamination...

Page 8: ...unter measures film usage in feet also available in a metric version Roll feed tray It is difficult to hand feed a long item such as a banner it into the laminator perfectly straiight When the banner is rolled onto an empty film core and put onto the roll feed assembly laminating the longest item becomes relatively easy The roll feed is especially helpful for posters banners and other long items ...

Page 9: ...8 Dimensions 32L x 11H x 14W Shipping dimensions 34L x 16H x 18W Weight shipping weight 75 lbs 84 lbs Electrical 110v version 110 125v 15 amps 1300w 50 60 Hz Electrical 220v version 208 240v 6 5 amps 1300w 50 60 Hz Film roll core size 1 Maximum 1 5 mil film capacity 1000 ft Maximum 3 mil film capacity 500 ft Fusing Drive motor 75 amp Heat system 1 5 amp Specifications are subject to change without...

Page 10: ... test will yield ink and paper fibers coming up with the film 1 6 LAMINATING FILM Most thermal laminating film consists of two layers a base of polyester and an adhesive layer of polyethylene The polyester layer forms the harder outer surface of the film and does not melt at laminating temperature It provides rigidity and protection for your laminated items The greater the polyester content the hi...

Page 11: ... be mounted easily without fasteners or tape high clarity films some of which include a protective liner on the top outer surface which is removed by the recipient to reveal a surface perfectly free of dust scratches or abrasion opaque or colored films for the back side of a lamination to form a border on a laminated piece iridescent clear films for special visual effects permanently waterproof fi...

Page 12: ...being laminated is fairly thick it will pull heat from the film This will lower the temperature of the 1 5 mil film and prevent it from sticking properly When laminating thick items with standard 1 5 mil film it may be necessary to raise the temperature to 280 F or 300 F Do not use any higher temperature for any film than is needed to get an acceptable degree of adhesion as measured by an X test R...

Page 13: ... of the laminator LEDCO Inc does not incur any obligation or liability as a result of the warranties that are the sole responsibility of the appropriate individual manufacturer Any laminator that proves defective during the warranty period may be returned to LEDCO Inc unless it is decided that the necessary repairs can be made during a service call Notice of the defect must be submitted in writing...

Page 14: ...the laminator has been altered or repaired by anyone other than a LEDCO authorized repair facility dealer or representative This warranty is expressly in lieu of all other warranties expressed or implied including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for use and of all other obligations or liabilities of LEDCO Inc LEDCO Inc neither assumes nor authorizes any other person to assume any oth...

Page 15: ...ility of the shipper ends at the time and place of shipment The carrier then assumes full responsibility for the shipment 1 Notify LEDCO IMMEDIATELY 2 Hold damaged goods with container and all packing materials for inspection by the examining agent LEDCO will arrange the inspection 3 DO NOT RETURN ANY GOODS TO LEDCO PRIOR TO AUTHORIZATION BY LEDCO 4 Submit a copy of the inspector s report to LEDCO...

Page 16: ...RATIONS NAMES OF PARTS The following photos identify major components and operating controls Refer to them as you study the installation operating and maintenance procedures described in this manual Control Panel Upper supply roll mandrel Safety shield Slitter Heads Feed table guides Supply roll tensioning knob Bottom Supply Roll Variable Speed control ...

Page 17: ...17 Variable speed control Temperature display Temperature up down controls Forward reverse switch Heat on off switch Fans on off Slitter head Blade holder thumb screw 7E blade ...

Page 18: ...18 The machine can be reset using the push button fuse located on the back of the machine above the plug receptacle Push the button in to reset the fuse and continue running the machine Push to reset ...

Page 19: ...jo del plastificador donde podría ser recalentado debido a la proximidad de la zapata calefactora inferior 3 The safety shield must remain attached to the machine and in position any time there is power to the machine You may tip the safety shield up while loading the film Always make sure the rollers are NOT turning when the safety shield is flipped down MISE EN GARDE L écran de sécurité doit etr...

Page 20: ... released The speed control is directly above the temperature indicator and is labeled with a hare and a tortoise 3 Plug the machine into a working outlet of at least 15 amps Plugging in the machine does not power on any control unless a switch has been left on Plug in the machine and turn on the heat The heat indicator lamp in the heat switch will come on It will stay on until the machine has rea...

Page 21: ...r any laminating with 3 mil or thicker film The Premier 4 is made to run film up to 10 mils thick Speed must be reduced with thicker film to insure adequate heating and cooling of the film The machine s cooling capacity can be exceeded before its heating capacity especially if the slitters are being used Top speed on the Premier 4 is about 7 feet per minute When the indicator line on the speed con...

Page 22: ...tom supply roll mandrels should point toward the heat shoes and toward each other The tension control knobs should be positioned on the right If you have rolls of film on which the material is wound in the opposite direction adhesive or dull side out simply reverse the rolls The mandrels are universal and will work either on the top or bottom of the machine 3 Slide a roll of film onto the top supp...

Page 23: ...ed on the mandrel and the shiny side facing down and draped over the top heat shoe 7 Load the bottom roll of film onto the mandrel in the same manner as the top roll Remember that the shiny side of the film must always go against the shoe The dull adhesive side must face away from the shoe Make sure the two rolls are aligned with each other before going to the next step Now drape the film from the...

Page 24: ...inating rollers meet the film and the threading card will start into the laminator and will pass through both sets of rubber rollers When the threading card has cleared the back of the machine move drive switch to off DANGER The safety shield must be in position over the upper heat shoe whenever the rollers are turning or machine is heating The laminator is designed to be run with operator directl...

Page 25: ...25 5 3 FILM THREADING DIAGRAM ...

Page 26: ... lamination caused by cold spots on the laminating rollers 4 Position the feed guides if needed for precision feeding You will get the best results by centering items in the web of film 5 Check and balance the supply roll tension on both rolls Start by loosening both knobs until there is no pressure on the springs Tighten each knob until it just begins to press on its spring For a preliminary adju...

Page 27: ... If the tension appears balanced but you notice waves or ripples toward the center of the web of film as it comes out the back the temperature may be too high or the lamination speed may be too high for that film This type of wave in the film is called a heat wrinkle Heat wrinkles are formed when the film has not cooled enough before coming out the back of the machine For the best results the film...

Page 28: ...from the slitter blades when working in the area between the two sets of rollers When the slitters are not in use keep the blades disengaged and slide them out of the way against the side panels of the laminator MISE EN GARDE Prendre garde de ne pas approcher les mains des lames de la découpeuse lorsque vous avez à travailler entre les deux jeux de rouleaux Lorsque la découpeuse ne sert pas rentre...

Page 29: ... Ultra low temp copolymer 230 280 180 270 180 260 Several important notes about this chart 1 Your film vendor has primary responsibility for providing information about the film that you are using Note that lower grade films may require more heat and may not yield satisfactory results on porous stocks such as construction paper 2 This chart is to serve as a general guide when better data is not av...

Page 30: ...dard high temperature and low melt low temperature versions of all film thicknesses Some low melt films work at lower temperatures than others It is important you buy your film from a vendor who can tell you the following information about any film you choose the thickness the clarity suggested melt temperature range polyester polyethylene content how well the adhesive will stick to the kinds of i...

Page 31: ...normal and inevitable on any laminator especially with thicker material These wrinkles will be trimmed away with the scrap so they do not affect appearance Because the rollers are being held apart by the paper or cardboard they cannot pull equally on the plastic around the paper This creates wrinkles that tend to look like the bow waves of a boat radiating out through the clear part of the web fro...

Page 32: ... toque las zapatas calefactoras cuando la máquina está caliente 1 Remove the feed tray 2 Cut the film on the top and bottom just in front of the idler bars 3 Loosen the film from the heat shoes and grip the two loose ends holding them together 4 Turn the drive switch to the reverse position 5 Turn on the drive at a very low speed and allow the laminator to back out the film that is wrapped around ...

Page 33: ...lear MISE EN GARDE S il n y a qu un film dans la machine le coté adhésif qui se trouvera contre le rouleau de plastification y adhérera ce qui provoquera un enroulement monstre trés difficile à défaire puisque le film adhère d abord au rouleau puis à lui meme a mesure qu il s enroule Il faut agir rapidement avant que la colle durcisse Procéder de la facon indiquée ci dessus pour régler le problème...

Page 34: ...y see film detach from an item along one edge the edge that was put in first This happens when the material is put all the way into the nip before the machine is started The area of film between the shoes and the nip can cool off too much while the machine is idle The adhesive may not be hot enough to stick The way to prevent this is to let a few inches of film go though before putting in sheets t...

Page 35: ...t brand of film PROBLEM The laminated material seems to have a pitted or irregular surface that does not match the texture of the paper being coated SOLUTION This is usually caused by adhesive build up or dirt on the rubber rollers but it may be caused by any matter stuck to the rollers such as a piece of paper Inspect the rubber rollers if they are dirty clean them as indicated in Section 7 3 Cle...

Page 36: ...n item SOLUTION This problem can be caused by excessive laminating roll pressure Putting too much pressure on the laminating rollers actually decreases pressure in the center of the web The other likely cause of this symptom is worn rollers For example if hundreds of thousands of 18 inch wide sheets are laminated on a 38 inch machine the center of the rollers can get worn down more than the ends o...

Page 37: ... roll feed 1 Roll up the item on an empty laminating film roll core making sure it does not telescope This insures it is rolled up perfectly straight 2 Place the core on the roll feed mandrel It doesn t matter if the image is face up or down since both sides of the item will get the same lamination Use the tension knob to adjust for a moderate amount of unwind tension Make sure that as the item un...

Page 38: ...est de mise lorsque l on effectue l entretien de cette machine S assurer que le cordon d alimentation est débranché et que la machine est mise hors tension avant de toucher à des pièces internes Prendre garde aux surfaces chaudes Ces surfaces demeurent chaudes longtemps après que le courant a été coupé Tenir les doigts et les objets loin des roulequx de caoutchouc Ne jamais faire tourner les roule...

Page 39: ...illos de goma Nunca tenga los rodillos de goma en movimiento mientras realiza trabajos de mantenimiento en su máquina Nunca vista ropa suelta corbata o joyas que peuden ser atrapadas por engrenajes o rodillos de goma mientras está realizando trabajos de mantenimiento en la máquina ...

Page 40: ...ke sure you carefully insulate your hands from possible steam burns if you do this The steam formed when water hits the hot surface can penetrate both the cleaning cloth and your gloves 7 3 CLEANING THE RUBBER ROLLERS Both the laminating rollers and the pull rollers need regular cleaning Collectively these are referred to as the rubber rollers The upper heat shoe on the laminator swings away in se...

Page 41: ...ando los rodillos o realizando otras tareas de mantenimiento en la máquina Gire los rodillos por mano Limpie una sección de los rodillos luego enchufe la máquina y use el botón de marcha atrás para girar los rodillos y limpiar la sección siquente Establezca una velocidad muy baja para controlar la rotación más fácilmente Mantenga las manos y la ropa alejadas de los rodillos mientras están gurando ...

Page 42: ... Nylon Mach Screw 4500 051 4 25 Idler Tube Shaft 4500 052 4 25 Idler Tube 4500 057 4 25 Fan Motor Bracket 4500 060 4 Top Bottom Heat Shoe 4500 074 4 25 Safety Shield 4500 092 4B 25 Bottom Motor Cover 4500 092 4BK Back Motor Cover 4500 092 4T 25 Top Motor Cover 4500 095 4 25 Threading Guide 4500 096 4 25 Feed Table LC25 011 4 Stabilizer LAB03 International Symbol for Hot Label LAB06 International G...

Page 43: ...43 ...

Reviews: